Soft Pretzels
Photo by Mark Weinberg
MAKES
12 pretzels or 8 sandwich buns
TAKES
Prep time: 3 hours
Cook time: 40 minutes
Total: 3 hours 40 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
I love to make homemade pretzels, because they are at their absolute peak when they are warm and fresh from the oven. Classic pretzels are made with the help of food-grade lye, which is responsible for a pretzel’s characteristic chew and deeply brown exterior. But food grade lye is tricky to use—read: actually dangerous—if handled improperly. My friend Erin Clarkson of Cloudy Kitchen finally produced a beautiful pretzel without lye, and it inspired me to try, too. This combination of finishes emulates lye beautifully—a soak in baking soda water, which performs a similar reaction to the lye on the surface of the dough, and egg wash—and helps get the dough to the level of brown I think they deserve.
INGREDIENTS
Pretzel Dough
660 g / 5 ½ cups bread flour
25 g / 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
9 g / 1 tablespoon dry yeast
12 g / 2 teaspoons kosher salt
56 g / 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
340 g / 1 ½ cups warm water (around 110°F / 45°C)
Finishing
4.25 kg / 18 cups water
160 g / ⅔ cup baking soda
egg wash, as needed for finishing
coarse or flaky salt, for finishing
More Baking Fun This Way:
NOTES
Check out these step by step photos to help you on your pretzel shaping journey:
Photos by Mark Weinberg
METHOD
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, mix the flour, sugar, yeast and salt to combine, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
2. Add the butter and water and mix on low speed until the dough comes together, 3 minutes. Raise the speed to medium and continue to mix until the dough is very smooth, 4 minutes more.
3. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until noticeably puffy and nearly double in size, 1 to 1 ½ hours.
4. To make pretzels: Divide the dough into 12 even pieces (about 85g each). To make sandwich buns: Divide the dough into 8 even pieces (about 130g each).
5. Shape the dough: line one baking sheet (for rolls) or two baking sheets (for pretzels) with parchment paper as each piece is shaped, transfer to the prepared baking sheet.
To shape pretzels: (See Note) Working with one piece of dough at a time, press into a slightly oblong in shape, just by pushing it flat with your fingers.
Starting at the top of the dough (the edge farthest away from you), fold one third of the piece of dough over onto itself. Press firmly with your fingertips or with the heel of your hand to "seal." Continue to fold the dough over and press to seal until it has formed a log shape.
Starting with very light pressure in the center of the dough, roll the dough between your hands and the work surface, elongating the log. Roll until the dough into a log, about 20 in / 50 cm long.
To shape the pretzel, hold the two ends in your hands. Twist the strands around each other once (still holding the ends), then again, to make two twists in the dough. At this point, lift the rounded part of the dough at the top and bring it down below the two twists. Bring the ends through the round and press down with your fingers to seal the pretzel.
To shape sandwich buns: Working with one piece of dough at a time, cup your hand over a piece of dough and roll it in a circular motion on the work surface to form it into a tight round.
6. Cover the shaped pretzels with greased plastic wrap and let rise until noticeably puffy, 30 to 45 minutes.
7. Make the soaking mixture: Bring the water to a simmer in a large pot over medium high heat. Once it comes to a boil, stir in the baking soda. Reduce heat to low. Working in batches, add the shaped pretzels to the water and let soak for about 1 minute, using a slotted spoon or spider to gently flip the dough halfway through soaking.
8. Remove the soaked pretzels and return to the parchment lined baking sheet, leaving at least ½ in/1 cm all around each piece. Heat the oven to 425°F/220°C with racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
9. Egg wash the pretzels and sprinkle with coarse or flaky salt. Bake, rotating the pans half way through baking, until deeply golden brown and the interior temperature is at least 195°F/90°C in the thickest part. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. For pretzels: 12-15 minutes. For sandwich buns: 18-22 minutes.
10. Make ahead and storage: Pretzels are best in the first 24 hours after baking. Store leftover rolls tightly wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
